I spent three days away from my kitties in the heart of Decatur, GA

Recently, I have been down a rabbit hole reading all about writing retreats and the various forms they can take: solo, paid, group, residency. One day, I hope to participate in every known variation, but the easiest for me to embark on would have been the solo, and once I’d gotten that idea into my head, I was itching to do just that.

So imagine my utter delight when a friend offered her very own home to me to give it a try! The timing couldn’t have been better, either, as the following week, Arlen and I would be heading out on vacation, and I knew that hardly any writing would get done in that time. I eagerly told my friend “Yes! I’d love to come housesit while you’re away and give this whole solo-retreat thing a try.”

Before I dive into the nitty-gritty, day-by-day play of how my solo-journey went, I just want to give a bit of an overview on the area in which I stayed and how that lent itself to this particular project, the amount of time I had, and whether I believe the entire trip was worth it (hint: it was).

Where I Stayed:

My friend’s home is located within a charming little area of Decatur called Oakhurst, near the city of Atlanta. You wouldn’t feel as if you were staying in a major city, though, as this particular area is quite, filled with tree-lined streets, and a mile walk from a charming cafe called Oakview Coffee.

Not only is this the ideal writing environment for me as I need lots of quiet, calm, and the idea of coffee as a special treat for accomplishing major writing goals, but the story I am currently working on (Project: Magic) revolves heavily around the environment and how nature can weave its way through the lives of a small town. I hadn’t realized just how much inspiration I was to draw from where I was staying prior to my visit. But it turned out to be the most perfect place to stay as the neighborhood was filled with front yard gardens, flowers blooming everywhere, a restorative community garden only two-miles away, and little plaques to denote the various trees lining the sidewalks.

Looking back through the photos of those few days away, my camera roll is filled with primarily plants, plants, and more plants. Good thing, too, as my main character happens to be a conservationist.

How much time I actually had to write:

My retreat was really quick. I only really had one full day of writing time, flanked on either side with days of travel, settling in, and loading out. Still, in that very brief amount of time, I was able to knock out six-thousand words, two full chapters, and the outline for the next several chapters to come.

Was it worth it?:

Hell yes! 10000%, it was completely, totally worth it. Even if I hadn’t been so generously gifted the use of my friends ultra-cute home for free, I still would have found the act of paying for that uninterrupted time in which to simply be with my story so, so worth every cent.

And with that, let’s dive into what I actually got up to over the course of those three days of my first solo-writing retreat.

Day 1

On the 45-minute-long drive to my friend’s house, I listened to the special playlist I’ve been refining specifically for Project Magic to help better get me into the darker mood of the story. Once I arrived, I snagged the house key from my friend and bid her adieu, unloaded the few food items I had brought into the fridge, and began settling in.

I did this by looking up places in which I could walk such as the coffee shop, reading a bit of Botanical Poisons and Curses as research for my story, cancelling some lingering appointments that were weighing on my mind, and doing a short round of yoga. It was also around this time that I realized I had brought along the wrong charger for my phone. Such a Brittani-move. Before it died, I figured I would walk to the coffee shop, just to be sure I knew where it was.

Already, the ideas for my story were flowing from that initial walk to and from the coffee shop and also through my friend’s backyard. Before calling it a night, I planned out the scenes in which I wanted to tackle the following day, my biggest writing day, and then rounded off the evening watching a light-hearted rom-com.

Day 2

I was determined to take this writing retreat a bit on the easy side. I don’t do super well with stringent goals or days mapped out to the hour. Instead, I find I am most productive when I simply follow my own natural inclinations. Something that doesn’t always come easy, but this retreat proved to be a great time in which to practice.

I took the morning especially slow, diving in to writing morning pages (something I never seem to find time for at home), meditating in order to check-in with myself, making a small cup of coffee, and then easing in to my first 40-minute writing sprint of the day. I did this around 6:30 A.M. at the little kitchen table with the window open, cool air coming through, and the sun not yet having cracked the sky.

After another, less-productive sprint out on the porch swing, I decided to walk to the coffee shop with nothing but a few books (my botanical curses book and a gardening book of my friend’s) and a notebook. I hadn’t expected to do much at the coffeeshop but research a bit as I was feeling tired from such an early start coupled with a poor night’s rest, but I wound up writing even more of a particular scene entirely by hand!

Feeling invigorated by my writing and the coffee, I decided to walk to the Oakhurst Community Garden which another friend who lives in the same area told me about. And oh. My. Goodness. It was the most PERFECT place I could have ever gone on this particular day, while working on this particular project. I’d have stayed all day long if I hadn’t gotten hungry or needed to pee after an hour or so. I made plans to return the following day with my car and laptop so that I might purchase plants and write beneath the shade of one of their many, beautiful trees.

I returned “home” sweaty and hungry so I made a quick lunch, transcribed what I had hand-written at the coffee shop, connected some dots within the scene, and wrapped it up entirely. Three-thousand words had been written, and I was ready for a nap.

For the rest of the day, I took it easy and recharged my creative well. I did this by lying on the couch with my eyes closed for around 40-minutes, reading more garden books, laying outside and watching the clouds meander by, and finally, walking to a friend’s house around the corner for a homemade meal. It was by far, one of the best days.

Day 3

I had a slower start after a much needed, super deep sleep (woohoo!). I followed pretty much the same pattern as the prior day with the morning pages, meditation, coffee, and two, less productive writing sprints. Because the words weren’t flowing as easily, I headed back to the cafe, this time, with my laptop in hand. I spent several hours outside on one of their many benches writing, sipping coffee (a delicious maple-spiced oat-milk latte, perfect for autumn), and watching all the cutie-patootie dogs wandering by with their owners. in the end, I clocked another three-thousand words and scene for my novel.

At this point, I was still unsure if I would spend another evening at my friend’s home or head back to my own home. I was very much playing things by ear. All I knew was that I wanted to head back to the community garden, which is exactly what I did.

I wound up sending the rest of the morning wandering around, observing the various plants and interconnected spaces, purchasing plants for my own garden, and trying to stay out of the way of volunteers tending to the freeform garden beds. It was on a bench, settled into a shadowy alcove where I both decided I would head back to Arlen and the cats and got bit by some unknown bug that left a burning sensation against my skin. Whoops! I hadn’t realized I was so close to another organism’s home. My apologies.

In the end, this writing retreat was more than I could have ever hoped for. Writing six-thousand words in anything less than at least a week is an absolute feat for all but the most prolific of writers. On a good day, I tend to aim for around only one-thousand words, and even then, I am mentally exhausted. But this particular adventure left me feeling invigorated overall. It propelled me to break through the stagnation and confusion I had been feeling previously with where my story was headed. It narrowed my focus while simultaneously opening up so many potential avenues for my main character to travel.

Would I take a solo-writing retreat again in the future? Absolutely! In fact, I am already planning a dual retreat with my editor early next year. But aside from merely putting more words on the page, I was also gently brought closer to myself during these three days. I was introduced to a lovely community garden that is working so, so hard to create a sustainable landscape and keep the creek that runs through the area clean. I was so inspired by this space that I have even signed up to volunteer with them this autumn and winter!

It’s like the cherry on top of a perfect sundae.